Reykjavik

103,000 km²
(2.5x the Netherlands)

UTC +0

Icelandic

Hvannadalshnúkur - 2,119 m

The current flag dates from 1915. The flag is based on the Danish Dannebrog and has the reverse color scheme of the flag of Norway, with which Iceland has had a strong bond for centuries. In 1944, Iceland became an independent republic. The flag remained in use.

In 1885, the Danish krone (introduced in 1874) was replaced by the     Icelandic krone. Depicted on the banknote is Jón Sigurdsson (1811-1879). He was the political leader of the independence movement.     His birthday, June 17, is Iceland's national holiday.

Iceland is the youngest region of Europe with an age between 15 and 20 million years. There are numerous glaciers, waterfalls and volcanoes. The volcanoes in Iceland are still active. Every day there are earthquakes, usually lesser than 3 on the scale. Sometimes there are up to 300 earthquakes a week. The weather in Iceland is quite hit and miss. In the summer there is a lot of rain and the wind can be very strong. A saying goes: There is no bad weather, only bad clothes. Bring good rain gear and sturdy, high, waterproof walking shoes. Nevertheless, nature is beautiful in any weather.

Landmannalaugar (hot springs in the land of the people of the area) is known for its rhyolite rock. The surrounding rhyolite mountains are very colorful: yellow, red, brown and gray-green. Characteristic of this rock is that just a little bit of sunlight makes the mountains light up, as it were, so they often look very 'bright'. The Laugahraun lava field, formed during an eruption in 1477 contains a lot of obsidian, a black glass-like rock that is also called volcanic glass. At the base of the lava field cold water and hot water join together. The area is part of the Fjallabak Nature Reserve. The area is closed outside the summer. Landmannalaugar is also the beginning / end of the Laugavegur (hot spring) trail, a four-day trek from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk. It is the busiest route in Iceland, which is why Icelanders often associate it with Reykjavik's busiest shopping street, Laugavegur. The path opened in 1978.

The first stage of 11 km runs from the campsite over the Laugahraun and goes up through an area with rhyolite rocks and hot springs to the Brennisteinsalda. After the climb follow a plateau with eternal snow. The noisy geyser Stórihver is located halfway up the plateau and a short descent to a mountain hut in Hrafntinnusker (1070 meters). Most hikers skip this cabin and continue until Álftavatn.
Stage 2 Hrafntinnusker - Álftavatn (11.3km)
Stage 3 Álftavatn - Emstrur (16.2km)
Stage 4 Emstrur - Þórsmörk (16.2km)
There are two recommended walks around the campsite: a circular walk to the top of the Bláhnúkur. The hike starts at the campsite and leads to the plain of the Jökullgil where you cross a river. The climb starts at the green slope of the mountain. Climb 345 meters to the top at 945 meters. The views of the surrounding mountains are fantastic. Continue down the path at the back, cross the plain to the lava field Laugahraun and follow the path along the stream Brennisteinsöldukvisl through the Graenagil back to the campsite. The other hike goes up the path at the cottage on the campsite into the laugahraun. Walk towards the colored mountain Brennisteinsalda and turn right at the hot springs. Descend the path to the Vondugiljaaurar plain and turn left at the plain. After a while you cross the plain towards the waterfall (wading shoes may be required). To the right of the waterfall the path goes up steeply to the top of the Suðurnámur (910 meters). Here also a beautiful 360 degrees panoramic view. Continue the path across the comb. At the end there is a steep descent back to the main road leading to the campsite. Both walks are easy to combine.

The Vatnajökull (water glacier) is the largest ice cap in Iceland. The surface is about 8,100 km² and is 400 to 1000 meters thick. The glacier is a National park. The Hvannadalshnúkur volcano (2,109 meters) on the southwest side of the ice cap is the highest point in Iceland. Next to this volcano the ice sheet covers some of Iceland's most active volcanoes. The volcano Bárðarbunga had a short eruption of about half an hour in September / October 1996. From August 2014, a series of earthquakes were recorded, mainly at a depth of 5 to 10 kilometers causing the caldera of the Bárðarbunga to drop steadily with about 50 cm a day.

In the Skaftafell National Park you can make a beautiful circular walk. The condition for this hike is good weather because of the breathtaking views. The route starts in the middle of the campsite. The path goes up steeply and then you arrive at the viewpoint of the Hundafoss. Go up to one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland, Svartifoss (black waterfall). It plunges from a beautiful basalt formation. Follow the path up at the waterfall and cross the Skaftafellsheiði to the right flank of Skerhóll. from here a steep path goes up to the right to a viewpoint Fremrihnaukur with a view of the valley Morsárdalur underneath and the Skeiðarájökull to the left in the distance. Climb to the next viewpoint, Nyrðrihnaukur. For this view, turn left where the path makes a right turn under the top of the Kristinartindar. Here you have another beautiful view of the valley and the Morsárjökull on the right. Follow the path under the Kristinartindar. You can follow another path up here to the left at the top at 1,126 meters. Further following the path you will arrive at the viewpoint of the enormous Skaftafellsjökull. The path then descends, the last part on the wooded slope back to the campsite. Total length approx. 18 kilometers.

On the south side of Vatnajökull, between Skaftafell National Park and the town of Höfn, at at the base of the Breiðamerkurjökull lies the glacial lake Jökulsárlón, the best known and largest glacial lake of Iceland. At the end of the nineteenth century, the glacier tongue reached to the sea, today it is already more than 3 kilometers from the coast due to the current weather conditions. The glacial lake was created around 1935 and thereafter grew rapidly from 7.9 km² in 1975 to at least 23 km² today due to the melting of the glacier. With a depth of about 250 meters, Jökulsárlón is currently the deepest lake in the country. It is popular with tourists. There is an information center and boat trips including an amphibious vehicle are available on the lake.

The volcanic Hengill Mountains are located just south of Lake Þingvallavatn. The highest peak of Hengill is the Skeggi with 803 meters. The last eruption here took place about 2000 years ago by which the lava field Nesjavallahraun and the island of Sandey in the Þingvallavatn were formed. The Hengill area is an important source of energy for the south of Iceland. The Nesjavellir geothermal power station supplies most of the electricity for southwest Iceland and the warm water for the suburbs of the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik. Precipitation to the north of Þingvallavatn flows underground towards Hengill where the water is heated at a depth of 1 to 3 kilometers. The Nesjavellir geothermal power plant was commissioned in 1990.

Hveragerdi is located on the Varmá (Warm River) and has about 2300 inhabitants. Just north of Hveragerdi is Reykjadalur (Valley of steam), a geothermal area which is very popular because of the hot springs. Leading up to the valley, on the left is the Djúpagil gorge with the waterfall Djúpagilsfoss.

Þingvellir is a historically important place for the inhabitants of Iceland. The Alþing (parliament) was founded here in 930. Farmers, warriors, traders and others gathered here every summer to settle important matters. In the In the year 1000, for example, it was decided that Christianity would be the country's religion. The last open-air meeting here took place in 1798. In 1800 Parliament was established in Reykjavik. Icelands independence was proclaimed here on June 17, 1944. The fact that Alþing was founded here is because of the special breach in the earth, the Almannagjá. The Almannagjá acted as an echo wall so that there was an optimal acoustic for the audience in the open field. This area is the border between the tectonic plates of the North American and Eurasian continent, with the plain itself as a separation. The Almannagjá was created because of one major subsidence has occurred in which the soil dropped 30 to 40 meters over a length of about 16 km.

A short drive to the north of Þingvellir in Haukadalur (Hawk valley) you can watch how the geyser Strokkur (churn) erupts. Strokkur has eruptions every 4 to 8 minutes. This geyser is a stone's throw from Geysir, the namesake of all geysers. Geysir, however, is not active anymore. After an earthquake in 1789, Strokkur became active until the earthquake in 1896 blocked the water supply. In 1963 the supply was cleaned by locals and the Strokkur has since regular eruptions again.

Further to the north, where tourist buses can't go further, Gullfoss (golden waterfall) plunges down in the Hvíta (White River). It is one of the most well known Icelandic tourist places. The water drops downs 32 meters in two parts that are perpendicular to each other. The Hvíta is a glacier river which is also fed by rain. The water pouring into the gorge creates a large amount of spraying water that, when the sun shines on it, causes beautiful rainbows to which de Gullfoss takes its name.

From the Gullfoss, the Kjölur route leads to Blönduós in the north. This road is only suitable for four wheel drive vehicles. The route is 165 kilometers long and runs between the Langjökull and Hofsjökull ice caps. Hveravellir is to the east of the north side of Langjökull. Hveravellir is a geothermal area with hot pools and springs. In the 18th century, Icelandic outlaw Fjalla-Eyvindur (1714-1783) used the springs of Hveravellir to cook stolen sheep. He and his wife Halla lived there for over 20 years.

A hike from Hveravellir across the kjalhraun (lava field) to the shield volcano Strýtur. Last eruption was 7,000 years ago. The volcano has a diameter of 1 kilometer. From the campsite in Hveravellir it is 6 km to the volcano. West of the volcano is the Þjófafell with behind it the valley of the thieves (Þjófadalir). The name is derived from a gang that was hiding here. Langjokull Langjökull (long gletsjer) is an ice cap with an area of 935 km². It is the second largest ice cap (Vatnajökull) in Iceland. The ice is up to 580 meters thick, about 50 km long and 15 to 20 km wide. The highest point, at the north of the ice cap, is 1,450 meters above sea level.

The Kerlingarfjöll is located south of the Hofsjökull ice cap and is a colorful area because of rhyolite. The mountain gets its name from a 25 meter high, dark column which is called Kerling (old woman). Snækollur is the highest point (1,477 meters). There are also lots of hot springs in this area.

The Hekla volcano (hat, because of the always present collar of clouds) cloudiness) is in the southwest. This is Iceland's largest (strato) volcano. The volcano is 1,491 meters high and the most active volcano in Iceland. It erupted eighteen times since the colonization of Iceland in 874. The last eruption was in 2000. In the Middle Ages, Hekla was called the gate to hell.

Sko;gafoss, a 60 meter waterfall, is located near the town of Skógar. The Ská river flows over the edge of a cliff of the former coastline of Iceland. The cliffs remained after the shoreline retreated 5 km because of the rising of the land after the last ice age.

The Seljalandsfoss is depicted in many photos and calendars. The 65 meter high waterfall in the south of Iceland is located next to the ring road. It is possible to walk behind it but the path is slippery. The Seljalandsfoss, like the Skógafoss 15 kilometers away, flows from the same cliffs of the former Icelandic coastline.

Reynisfjara near Vik is a black beach with beautiful basalt formations. In 1991 the beach was named by National Geographic as one of the top 10 non-tropical beaches. Note! The waves here are extremely dangerous. Hálsanefshellir and Reynisdrangar are the basalt formations on the coast and in the sea.

Eldgjá (fire gap), is a volcano and eruption gap that is part of the same volcanic system as Katla volcano. The 'fire gap' is the largest volcanic gap in the world. It is 8 km long, 150 meters deep and 400 meters at its widest point. The gap was formed in 934 during one of the largest eruptions of the previous millennium. The gap is part of a 75 km long crevice which is running in a northeasterly direction from the Katla. Ófærufoss is a waterfall with two steps in the Eldgjá river